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Areas of Work

Small Arms Control and Disarmament

Over its history QUNO has focused much of its peace-related effort on fostering disarmament negotiations at the UN, for example on chemical and nuclear weapons. By the mid-1990s QUNO also recognised that tremendous damage to communities and societies was being done by conventional weapons, particularly small arms and landmines, and worked to raise awareness of this problem and seek effective ways to tackle it at international level.

Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)

Since the mid 1990s, the formal negotiations at the UN on small arms control have been dominated by supply aspects, a focus on shrinking the availability of the weapons themselves. QUNO, through its work with partner organisations in the Geneva Forum (link), has been seeking to tackle the problem of trafficking in small arms and light weapons by providing expert input, alternative perspectives and off the record spaces for dialogue and idea generation that could feed into these formal negotiations. The aim of this work is to provide a framework that can encourage and guide national efforts to halt the illicit trade in these weapons.

Other Disarmament Issues

More recently the international focus has turned to the licit trade in weapons with the conclusion of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in March 2013. QUNO, through the Geneva Forum, is seeking to support the on-going ATT process through off-the-record exploration and reflection on key issues. The Geneva Forum and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) have set up the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Network based in Geneva to coordinate activities related to the promotion of the Treaty and its implementation.

QUNO is also tracking recent developments in multilateral nuclear disarmament as some States and NGO’s attempt to re-activate serious negotiations around this important topic.

Recent Timeline Events

Our new, May 2015 edition of QUNO Review is now available for download below. The publication provides a brief introduction to QUNO and our way of working, as well as an overview of each of our programme areas. Learn more about our past year of our work and see where we are headed in 2015.

As a founding member of the Geneva Forum, QUNO attended the first public event of the new Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Network. The ATT Network was launched in 2013 by the Geneva Forum and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy as a platform to exchange information, provide practical guidance on the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty and develop networks among implementation actors and communities.

The event was attended by 60 participants in Geneva, and brought together NGOs, IGOs, mission delegates and UN experts to coordinate activities related to the promotion of the treaty and its implementation. During this event, Diane Hendrick moderated the concluding discussion, identifying areas for priority attention in the course of the following months.